'Park Won-soon Documentary' Screening Ban... Court Grants Injunction Request (Comprehensive)

"Perpetrator's Actions Already Acknowledged"

The Seoul Southern District Court Civil Division 51 (Presiding Judge Kim Woo-hyun) granted a provisional injunction on the 20th to ban the screening of the documentary 'First Argument,' which deals with the death of former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon.

The court stated, "It is difficult to regard the main content of this film as truthful, and it seriously damages the victim's honor," and made this decision.

The court also said, "The deceased (former Mayor Park)'s acts of harm against the victim have been repeatedly acknowledged through the National Human Rights Commission and the Administrative Court," and judged that "the value of expression through the film cannot be considered to be protected more than the victim's honor."

According to the court's decision, the screening, sale, and distribution of this film are all prohibited.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government and the victim's legal representative, Attorney Kim Jae-ryeon, filed a provisional injunction to ban the screening on the 1st of last month against the documentary production committee 'People Who Believe in Park Won-soon' and director Kim Dae-hyun, arguing that the film constitutes secondary harm to the victim.

Former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon. Photo by Jin-hyeong Kang aymsdream@

'First Argument' is based on the book 'Birth of a Tragedy' by Son Byung-kwan, a reporter from OhmyNews, which deals with former Mayor Park's sexual harassment case. 'Birth of a Tragedy' was criticized for causing secondary harm by partially refuting the claims of the sexual harassment victim. When the documentary production was announced, the same controversy was repeated.

During the provisional injunction hearing, Attorney Kim argued for the ban on screening, stating, "Denying the conclusions reached after long investigations by various state agencies cannot be guaranteed under the name of 'freedom of expression.'"

On the other hand, director Kim, who made the film, countered that broad freedom of expression should be recognized.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.